We spent $762 on gas for our two cars in March. We are on track to spend the same in April. And we don't even drive an SUV. I have seriously started making cutbacks in where I'm willing to drive. We've started asking dd to add gas to the car from her personal money when she goes to social events (the gas money I mentioned above doesn't even include what she's put in). I called two doctors this week to switch around appointments and combine them with another trip. I haven't been to yoga lately because I don't want to spend the $8 in gas for each class. Dh tries to work from home one day a week to save the commuting costs, but he's not always in control of that. Other than living like hermits...I'm not sure what else we can do. :blink:

THIS one has been my desktop background for years! When dh has asked about it, I just say, "Oh, one of the kids did it for me...I don't know how to change it. What can I do? :001_rolleyes:"

Yes...I hate this, but I guess there's no way around it. I was talking to a relative on the phone a while back (someone I don't speak to very often) who asked me my home address. I happily gave it to him, as I thought he wanted it to keep in touch. After I did, he said, "Great, I can look up your house online now to see how you're living." Nice.

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I have all these ingredients! I think I'll try this tonight, with the lesser honey amount. Wait...don't you need to cook the quinoa in water also?

I think I read about this book on your blog. :) But I can't post a comment there for some reason. I think this is one of the reasons I was so discouraged yesterday - I was so bummed out after reading a vegan cookie cookbook with all sorts of ingredients that I don't have. And they were so much WORK - who is going to simmer pumpkin puree for 45 minutes before making a batch of cookies? I need to relax a little and find what works for us.

You guys are great for advice AND encouragement. I was feeling overwhelmed by this task and guilty for making my ds take a pb&j for lunch. :) I will look for the Lorna Sass cookbooks. Her Pressure Perfect is one of my all-time favorite cookbook, and taught me how to use & love my PC - but it is chock-full of meat recipes. So I'll look for some of her vegetarian books. Simple Suppers is the Moosewood cookbook I got from the library. I've tried 5 or 6 recipes from it, and the family has thought they were all OK to Very Good. And, they have been relatively easy. My chief complaint there is just the planning required - I have to make sure my pantry is stocked with vegetable broth, my fridge has broccoli, etc. All those years of cooking with chicken breast had me in a groove where meal planning was easy. A couple of you mentioned not getting too worried about adding a protein. My dh has been pretty supportive at home (he still eats a burger at lunch) but he is insistent that we try to keep up the protein levels, especially for 15yo ds. So I personally would eat, for example, a stir-fry with just brown rice and veggies, but dh would want me to add at least some of a high-protein item like egg, tofu, or nuts. And add to the mix the whole controversy about soy being good or bad! I am pretty convinced that tofu and soy milk are not all bad, but, at the same time I don't want to overload our diets with it. So we are eating tofu about 1-2x/week. It's back to hummus sandwiches as we head out today - they are so delicious! - and I am lucky both my kids love them. Try them with thinly slice red onion and cucumber and red bell pepper, and baby spinach leaves. A thick layer of homemade hummus on one slice of bread, and a little ranch dressing spread on the other slice. Avocado and sprouts if you have them. Yum. :D

Yes, we've found this to be true - of the 3 CCs closest to us, 2 of them are very dual-enrollment friendly, making it easy for a student to enroll as long as you're qualified for that class. The third CC makes it really hard to dual-enroll - you have to pass the math & English proficiency tests to enroll in ANY classes, even those that don't require math or English "skills". I've been told the test is hard and that most regular CC students couldn't pass them (they don't have to!). Of course all bets are off now b/c of the budget problems. Mt San Antonio College, for example, has the following on their website: "Due to the current Budget situation, the Special Admit Program will be suspended until our current economic situation improves. We apologize for any inconvenience, but there will be no concurrent enrollment for K-12th grade students for the Summer 2011, Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 terms."

I have been vegetarian for a whole 19 days - since finishing the book Eating Animals. I'm starting to get discouraged and wondering if my family will starve because I am already out of ideas.:confused: Breakfast is OK - although homemade granola with almond milk gets a little old day after day. We're not going vegan, but trying to cut back on eggs/dairy, hence the breakfasts heavy on cereal. Packed lunches are getting to be a problem (we take our lunches out about 2-3x week). The kids and I love greek salad in a lavash wrap, and hummus sandwiches w/ spinach/onion/cucumber, but those are my only two good ideas! Homemade lunches are better - I have more flexibility at home, so today we are having soba noodles w/ veggies, yesterday we had tomato/bean soup, another day we had pasta, etc. I got a Moosewood cookbook for dinners and it has been pretty good. But it's just discouraging because everything seems like so much more planning and work. Any ideas to get me over this rut and ready for the long haul? (confession: we are still going to eat grass-fed beef bought direct from a rancher, so maybe vegetarian isn't the right word for us...but, in the 19 days, we've had exactly 2 of those beef dinners. I imagine it will be 1 day a week or so)

My dd took this when she was first eligible (spring of sophomore year) and I'll have ds do it, too. It meant she could enroll as a "real" student at the CC instead of dual-enrollment. This gave her registration priority (although we had to pay enrollment fees which are waived for dual-enrollment). It also meant she didn't need a work permit when applying for a job. If you're not interested in those 2 things, I don't think it's necessary. If you file your own affidavit, then you are OK to issue a diploma.

Me, too. I used to get them on Amazon for less, with Amazon Prime. But they have really limited the color/sizes available without free shipping. :(

I wouldn't worry about it - send to everyone that you think will want to be invited, or at least know about the event. I've never received an announcement/invitation that I took as offensive or as asking for a gift. For my dd's graduation, we are sending out combined graduation announcements/invitation to the party even though I know distant relatives will not attend. It is way more cost effective to have the invite printed on the back, than have a separate invite. I'm a little unsure about sending it to the distant relatives, but I asked my mom about a few of the "iffy" ones and she told me to send them. I think *she* sends gifts to all of their children for every occasion, so she wants to make sure it's even. :) We're not quite done with the announcements yet, but I think they'll have a blurb about where she's attending college in the fall. So my rationale is that we see/correspond with these people so infrequently, that I'm sure they would like an update and a picture of dd's smiling face.

I just came here to see if this was posted. It is HILARIOUS! And with a cute reference to homeschooling! I can't wait to see the new show. (warning: there is a crude reference at about minute 4 on the daily show clip)

I am praying that you are ready and that your surgery on the 18th will go well.

My dd got a 5 on AP Art History after studying at home. I came up with a plan after reading the sample syllabi at the College Board website, and researching threads on this board. She read the entire Gardner's Art History textbook and completed the study guide available from the publisher. We also watched the History of European Art from The Teaching Company. And she read a book on architecture (the name escapes me now). Then as a review in the last three weeks or so before the test, she read through an AP study guide and did the practice tests. As others have said, it's easier for some tests than others. We tried to do APUSH also, but I just didn't think I could adequately guide her on all the practice essays she was attempting.

Yes, check your school's website. I just checked ours, and they have a list. And it differs from the 4-page list posted here; for example, it says DO NOT bring XL-twin sheets.

Your dd is a good writer; I would be happy with this paper if my 9th grade ds had written it. Her paragraphs are well organized and she has good sentence variety and vocabulary. The only problem I have with the essay is that I don't think her paragraphs support her thesis statement, which I think is the following sentence: "Stalin is deeply engraved in Russian history and one of the reasons it is so enigmatic." The body of her paper doesn't seem to be so much about the enigma of Russia as it is the terrors that Stalin wreaked on the Russian people during his reign. I'm sure she wants to keep her riddle/enigma/mystery theme, but I would have had my ds replace the thesis statement with something like: "Although Josef Stalin claimed to helping the Russian people, his reforms actually harmed them and led to millions of deaths." Then, she could try to keep most of the opening and closing paragraphs intact, but state exactly how this is an enigma - because the people allowed it? Or something else?

I read the modern history one and didn't really like it. :( But I LOVED his Cartoon Guide to Chemistry - the kids and I read it together last year and it was so easy to understand the concepts! I am going to have ds read it again this summer to warm-up for "real" chemistry in the fall.

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For those of you want it easy, Klutz has a kit: http://www.amazon.com/Fairies-Petal-People-Yourself-Klutz/dp/159174802X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301540622&sr=8-1 Years ago, my dd got a previous version of this kit/book which is now out of print, and she made some very cute little dolls. :)

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but Shania Twain has some songs that make me feel empowered. :) "Any Man of Mine" (better walk the line) is a good one.

Yes, that's what brought this question on for me, too! We are pulling out old photos to work on a slide show of dd's life for her graduation/18th birthday. I am looking at myself in old photos, in which I weigh less than I do now, and thinking: "I look really fat!" (maybe it's the clothing choices; some of those high-waisted pants with pleats really add volume to the stomach area!)

I have been the same height - just shy of 5'6" - since my teens. When I was 20, I thought about 118# was the perfect weight (and all my friends told me so). When I was 30, I thought about 128# was the perfect weight (and all my friends told me so). When I was 40, I thought about 138# was an OK weight (and all my friends told me so). So which is it? I am trying to exercise and eat right and lose a few pounds - maybe get close to 130. I don't think anything lower would be possible for me to maintain. I am trying to picture myself at 128 or 118 and can't imagine where the weight would come off. So why did I *need* to be 118 in college? Why do my friends say I look great? Are they all liars? Am I lying to myself when I look in the mirror? Does our body shape change that much?

And you know, that's what I would say if I saw your kids eating that way: "How cool that your kids like that!" I would never say it's weird.

I would love to! I saw the link you posted to that house in another thread. :)